3,000 evacuated after WWII bomb discovered in Berlin

A 100-kg bomb was discovered on Friday in downtown Berlin, which triggered an evacuation of around 3,000 people for its defuse.

The aero bomb was found on a construction site in the afternoon near the city's eastern commercial centre Alexanderplatz.

Firefighters and police have cordoned the nearby area within a radius of 300 meters. A bomb disposal squad was dispatched to attempt to work on the explosive, local police tweeted.

Local shops, restaurants, and the landmark television tower were cleared. City subways and trams bypassing the district were also temporarily suspended.

Berlin was heavily bombed during the World War II, particularly before the Allied forces liberated the city in 1945.

Some 3,000 bombs are still believed to remain buried under the city, according to local newspaper Tagespiegel.

In April 2018, Berlin police defused a 500 kg British bomb, forcing about 10,000 people to evacuate.